Published: Saturday, June 14, 2014 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, June 14, 2014 at 12:04 a.m.

Many people will plant an umbrella when they go to the beach, or perhaps poles for a volleyball net. But when Laurel Park resident Jerry Beschta heads to the seashore, he sinks five portable flag poles in the sand.

Facts

How to retire a U.S. flag

The United States Flag Code says, “The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem of display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.” Flags are often disposed of during a ceremony. While keeping the flag from touching the ground, cut the field of stars and the stripes of red and white. The pieces should be burned, and the ashes buried.

“I change the flags several times a day,” he said. “Sometimes I'll even put up authentic pirate flags. Those draw a lot of attention.”

Beschta has no lack of flags to choose from. The retired Navy commander and former director of the Henderson County chapter of the American Red Cross has a collection of more than 200 flags, ranging from replicas of early Revolutionary War-era banners to modern military flags.

More than two years ago, Beschta noticed that the owner of a 40-foot flagpole at the intersection of Laurel Park Highway and Timber Creek Road had stopped flying an American flag there. So he started raising his own Old Glory on the pole, with a different flag from his collection hung below it each day.

“Right now, it's the first Navy flag, which has 13 red and white stripes with a rattlesnake on it and says 'Don't Tread on Me' along the bottom,” he said Friday. “Tomorrow, I'll just put the 50-star flag up there for Flag Day.”

Bob Quattlebaum owns the flagpole and the land it sits on. In an email, the owner of Binion's Roadhouse explained why he stopped flying Old Glory.

“Our company erected the flag pole years ago after purchasing the property,” Quattlebaum wrote. “When Poplar Lodge closed, I took the U.S. flag down, partly because I no longer had the time to properly care for it.”

Not only does Beschta treat his flags with great care, he even posts a sign on the flag pole each morning explaining which flag he has pulled up. His diverse collection of replicas has attracted a following among flag buffs like Justin Edney, a warehouse manager at MasTec Advanced Technologies in South Carolina.

“I make a point to go through there two or three times a week just to see what he's flying that day,” said Edney, who lives on Indian Cave Park Road. “They're always different. There's no telling how many flags this guy owns or how much money he's invested. I've never seen a repeat.”

Over the course of his 25-year obsession, Beschta estimates he's spent more than $7,000 buying flags. It all began when his wife, Joyce, gave him a replica of the Betsy Ross flag — with its circle of 13 stars representing the original 13 colonies — as a gift when the couple lived in Centerville, Va.

Beschta, who regularly gives flag presentations at churches and civic clubs, is a walking encyclopedia of flag lore. Holding up a replica with a giant eagle on it, he explained the original flag flew at George Washington's headquarters and came to represent the first test of the U.S. Constitution.

“There were a bunch of guys making moonshine in Pennsylvania and they said, 'We're not going to pay those taxes,'” he said. “So Washington sent the army down there to convince them that it would be a good idea and without firing a shot, they started paying federal taxes. It's a pretty flag.”

One of Beschta's favorite flags is a replica of the original Star-Spangled Banner, the inspiration for the national anthem penned by Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812.

“It's the only official American flag with 15 stripes because Kentucky and Vermont had been admitted into the Union, so it has 15 stripes,” he said. “Then in 1818, Congress said, 'Wait a minute — if we keep adding states, this thing will look like a pinstripe suit. So let's go back to 13 stripes.'”

Beschta said he's grateful for the opportunity Quattlebaum has given him to show off his collection of flags. “It wouldn't be possible without his generosity,” he said.

If you'd like to attend one of Beschta's flag presentations, he's giving one at 6:30 p.m. Monday at First Congregational Church of Hendersonville. The church is located at 1735 5th Ave West.

<p>Many people will plant an umbrella when they go to the beach, or perhaps poles for a volleyball net. But when Laurel Park resident Jerry Beschta heads to the seashore, he sinks five portable flag poles in the sand.</p><p>“I change the flags several times a day,” he said. “Sometimes I'll even put up authentic pirate flags. Those draw a lot of attention.”</p><p>Beschta has no lack of flags to choose from. The retired Navy commander and former director of the Henderson County chapter of the American Red Cross has a collection of more than 200 flags, ranging from replicas of early Revolutionary War-era banners to modern military flags.</p><p>More than two years ago, Beschta noticed that the owner of a 40-foot flagpole at the intersection of Laurel Park Highway and Timber Creek Road had stopped flying an American flag there. So he started raising his own Old Glory on the pole, with a different flag from his collection hung below it each day.</p><p>“Right now, it's the first Navy flag, which has 13 red and white stripes with a rattlesnake on it and says 'Don't Tread on Me' along the bottom,” he said Friday. “Tomorrow, I'll just put the 50-star flag up there for Flag Day.”</p><p>Bob Quattlebaum owns the flagpole and the land it sits on. In an email, the owner of Binion's Roadhouse explained why he stopped flying Old Glory.</p><p>“Our company erected the flag pole years ago after purchasing the property,” Quattlebaum wrote. “When Poplar Lodge closed, I took the U.S. flag down, partly because I no longer had the time to properly care for it.”</p><p>Not only does Beschta treat his flags with great care, he even posts a sign on the flag pole each morning explaining which flag he has pulled up. His diverse collection of replicas has attracted a following among flag buffs like Justin Edney, a warehouse manager at MasTec Advanced Technologies in South Carolina.</p><p>“I make a point to go through there two or three times a week just to see what he's flying that day,” said Edney, who lives on Indian Cave Park Road. “They're always different. There's no telling how many flags this guy owns or how much money he's invested. I've never seen a repeat.”</p><p>Over the course of his 25-year obsession, Beschta estimates he's spent more than $7,000 buying flags. It all began when his wife, Joyce, gave him a replica of the Betsy Ross flag — with its circle of 13 stars representing the original 13 colonies — as a gift when the couple lived in Centerville, Va.</p><p>“I got a flag pole and put it up,” Beschta said. “And it's just been collecting ever since.”</p><p>Beschta, who regularly gives flag presentations at churches and civic clubs, is a walking encyclopedia of flag lore. Holding up a replica with a giant eagle on it, he explained the original flag flew at George Washington's headquarters and came to represent the first test of the U.S. Constitution.</p><p>“There were a bunch of guys making moonshine in Pennsylvania and they said, 'We're not going to pay those taxes,'” he said. “So Washington sent the army down there to convince them that it would be a good idea and without firing a shot, they started paying federal taxes. It's a pretty flag.”</p><p>One of Beschta's favorite flags is a replica of the original Star-Spangled Banner, the inspiration for the national anthem penned by Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812.</p><p>“It's the only official American flag with 15 stripes because Kentucky and Vermont had been admitted into the Union, so it has 15 stripes,” he said. “Then in 1818, Congress said, 'Wait a minute — if we keep adding states, this thing will look like a pinstripe suit. So let's go back to 13 stripes.'”</p><p>Beschta said he's grateful for the opportunity Quattlebaum has given him to show off his collection of flags. “It wouldn't be possible without his generosity,” he said.</p><p>If you'd like to attend one of Beschta's flag presentations, he's giving one at 6:30 p.m. Monday at First Congregational Church of Hendersonville. The church is located at 1735 5th Ave West.</p><p>___</p><p>Reach Axtell at 828-694-7860 or than.axtell@blueridgenow.com.</p>